Former Congress MP Naveen Jindal joins BJP, gets party ticket from Kurukshetra

New Delhi [India], March 24 : Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, industrialist and former Congress leader Naveen Jindal joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday, soon after resigning from the grand old party.
The BJP which released its 5th list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, fielded Jindal from Haryana's Kurukshetra constituency, a parliamentary seat already represented by the leader from 2004-2014.
Jindal represented the Kurukshetra constituency in the Lok Sabha for two terms (2004-2014). However, he lost to the Bharatiya Janata Party's Raj Kumar Saini in the 2014 national elections and was not fielded by the Congress in 2019.
Jindal, Chairman of Jindal Steel and Power, said that he wants to contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's agenda of 'Viksit Bharat'.
"Today is a very important day of my life. I am proud that I joined the BJP today and I will be able to serve the nation under the leadership of PM Modi. I want to contribute to the 'Viksit Bharat' dream of PM Modi..." he said.
Speaking to ANI, Jindal said that he would work towards making the lives of people better under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"It is a matter of fortune for me that BJP has given me this opportunity. Today, on the auspicious occasion of Holi, my aim is to bring more happiness to the country. We will work towards making the lives of people better under the leadership of PM Modi. I have full confidence that we are all trying to make our India a developed India and we will get success in it. Whatever responsibility the BJP will give me; I will fulfil that responsibility well," he said.
Jindal, however, said his resignation from the Congress would not make any difference to the party as he was not active in politics.
"I have been with Congress for the last 10 years. I was not active in the party, I have not attended any of their programs in the last 10 years and I have been completely separated from any political party for the last 10 years. I was only focused on my work, social work, and university. So I don't think that my resignation will make any difference to them (Congress) because I neither had any charge there nor was I ever an official of any kind in the party. It's been 10 years since I was there, I fulfilled my responsibilities there and for the last 10 years, I have been completely away from the Congress Party. I am not active in any way, so I don't think it will make any difference to them," he added.
He further said, "Now that I am coming into political life and I have joined the BJP, so now by following the policies of the BJP, we all together will try to build the India of our dreams."
Jindal on Sunday announced his resignation from the party.
"I represented the Congress Party in Parliament as MP from Kurukshetra for 10 years. I thank the Congress leadership and the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh Ji. Today I am resigning from the primary membership of the Congress Party," Jindal posted on X.